Nice Webslinger Mention

[mabfan]

From "Spider-Man is a hero we can identify with" by Bob Fischbach (Omaha World-Herald, April 29):

In the newly released book "Webslinger: Unauthorized Essays on Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" (Benbella Books, Dallas), writers who take the subject way more seriously than most of us wax philosophical.

For example, former Comics Journal editor Darren Hudson Hick says that when a genetically mutated spider bites Peter Parker, causing him to take on insectlike qualities, teens going through the horrors of puberty totally relate to Peter's scary transformation.

And fiction writer Michael Burstein says Peter's blue-collar roots in Queens, N.Y., make him someone a broad audience can relate to. Unlike Batman, he has rent to pay. Unlike Superman, he's human. And he may be the original multitasker, struggling to get the girl, take care of Aunt May and fight crime while holding down a job....

Comments

[kradical.livejournal.com]

Y'know, since they're talking about how Spidey is more interesting than Superman, would it've killed them to mention the essay in the book that actually dealt with that????

Sheesh. No respect, I tells ya....

(Cool that the book got the mention, though....)

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

You know, Keith, I was kind of wondering the same thing. I'm delighted to have been mentioned, but my essay had nothing to do with how Peter Parker is unlike Superman or Batman....

But yes, I'm glad to see the book get mentioned.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Keith, you want an article that mentions your essay in the book? Here you go:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07124/783252-254.stm

[kradical.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's just cool.....

Thanks! *preen*

[crackboy.livejournal.com]

I wonder if the mutation-as-puberty metaphor still holds up with the original radiation origin story? The current story isn't the one that made Spider-Man suddenly popular, after all.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Mutation as puberty (and mutation as other things) has always been more of the metaphor for the X-Men and their ilk. But I think Hudson's point had to do with how they chose to update things for the movies.

[crackboy.livejournal.com]

Oh. I'd categorize that change squarely as a technological one. Radiation is quaint now, it was a Big Deal back then. Today, if someone was exposed to a bunch of radiation, they'd just get cancer (and there have been pop culture references to this).

Genetic engineering is new and poorly understood, so it's still a plausible way to get super powers.

Spider-Man did it, and (although I'm sure this will induce cringes in some people) the Hulk did it too, replacing the gamma bomb with bionanotechnology (and some gamma rays for good measure).

[lisafeld.livejournal.com]

Man, you're popping up everywhere! Very cool.